JUST two weeks after the first tickets went on sale, organisers of Godalming’s own lottery have already seen a boost to the town.

Traders selling the GOLO tickets have apparently reported an increase in customers as the first draw on November 29 approaches.

The town lottery was launched officially on November 1, following a year of hard work and planning by the Go Godalming Association, as a way of raising funds for local good causes.

Tickets are on sale at shops and businesses, offering a chance to win a cash prize of £500 or 16 smaller prizes every month.

Go Godalming chairman Steven Haines said: “We are getting such great support from local traders, it’s creating a lot of fun. Every time I go and see them they tell me how many they’ve sold. It’s really firing everyone up.”

As an incentive to those selling GOLO tickets, Mr Haines is personally donating a bottle of champagne as a prize for the staff at the outlet that sells the most this month.

Mr Haines also revealed that the GOLO committee was planning to donate some of the proceeds from the first month’s lottery towards a Christmas treat for disadvantaged children.

But despite the enthusiasm being shown so far, some traders are calling for more people to get involved.

Viv Ellis from Workstation, which is one of several independent businesses selling the tickets, said: “They are going quite well but I don’t think enough people know about them yet. We took 100 to start with and we’ve sold close to 70 now. It’s good, but it could be so much better.

“So much could be done for the town and so much needs to be done. This is really something to get behind.”

The first top prize winner, drawn at the Pepperpot as part of the annual Town Day on November 29, will be presented with their cheque at the outlet where they bought the winning ticket.

Other prizes will be presented at Godalming Museum once the winning tickets have been verified.